Social Welfare Services Foundation employees' salaries remain unpaid

Foundation for Social Welfare Services employees have not received their salary, due last Friday.

Some did not even have cash to buy fuel to go to work and others are being fined by banks because they missed payment on standing orders, Josef Vella, from the Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, told The Times.

"There are hundreds of families who do not have enough money to buy essential items," he said.

The affected employees include those working at Sedqa, Appoġġ, Sapport and adult training centres who were due to receive their June salary, in terms of a new collective agreement, arrears and the quarterly bonus last Friday.

When contacted yesterday evening, Social Policy Minister John Dalli confirmed that some workers had not been paid, adding that he could not understand what happened. He promised to look into the matter today.

Last week, Mr Vella said, the foundation's financial department told workers there might be some delays in payments. But the union is worried that the delay, which yesterday ran into its sixth day, is causing hardship to numerous families already struggling to make ends meet.

"There are people constantly going to the ATM to check their bank balance, only to find that their salary has not yet been deposited," he said.

Mr Vella said the union had asked the foundation to at least give workers their basic pay and leave other allowances for a later date. "We want to ensure that workers do not suffer because of this problem."

He continued that, while a substantial number of workers did not receive any money, others got €1 (Lm0.43) in their account and others still received an incomplete salary.

On Monday, the union ordered industrial action at the foundation, calling on employees not to answer telephone calls or e-mails. Appoġġ and Sedqa workers were also directed not to carry out home visits and adult training centres employees were directed not to collect information for management. Sapport employees were told not to attend meetings with the management.

The union said this was not the first time foundation employees did not receive the correct salaries or were not paid, adding that, although it had previously complained about the situation, the matter was never addressed.

"We will persevere with industrial action until all workers have been paid. We will not lift actions on the basis of promises," Mr Vella insisted.

Meanwhile, the General Workers' Union said its members working in adult training centres received their salary yesterday or Monday following its intervention. It said that, although it understood that such cases were rare, it was important for problems not to be repeated as they caused inconveniences for workers.